N-nitrosamines are formed from the reaction of amines with nitrites and nitrates present in food. In particular, meat processing procedures, such as curing and smoking, can result in the formation of N-nitroso-compounds. Nitrite-cured meats, particularly fried bacon, are one of the major contributors to dietary N-nitrosamine exposure. Historically, volatile N-nitrosamines were of regulatory interest due to their carcinogenicity. However, their presence in food, and the resulting chronic dietary exposure at low doses is considered to be of toxicological importance to humans. The dietary exposure of volatile N-nitrosamines from the consumption of processed meat products was estimated for the U.S. population aged 2 years or more and for children aged 2 to 5 years using 2-day food consumption data from the combined 2013-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), and the levels of volatile N-nitrosamines in processed meat products available in a database from recent studies and reports in the literature. Over 1800 samples, including bacon, ham, salami, sausages, and various other processed meat products, have been analyzed for the presence of volatile N-nitrosamines and resulting data in the literature were compiled into this database. This study summarizes the results of the dietary exposure assessment for volatile N-nitrosamines, as well as the relative percent contribution of each processed meat product category to the total volatile N-nitrosamine exposure for the U.S. population.

Dietary exposure assessment for volatile N-nitrosamines from processed meat products for the U.S. population

ACS Fall 2020 Virtual Meeting

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